Terminal connector



Oct. 1, 195 7 -E.- A. NICHOLAS 2,808,449

TERMINAL CONNECTOR Filed Sept. 12, 1956 Edward A. Nicholas INVENTOR.

MMfiM TERMINAL CONNECTOR Edward A. Nicholas, Wollaston, Mass. Application September 12, 1956, Serial No. 609,446 1 Claim. (Cl. 174-59 This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in terminal connectors, and more particularly pertains to terminal connector attachment for electrical outlet boxes.

Various important objects of this invention are to provide an article terminal connector which will detachably electrically connect a plurality of electric conductors together within a conductor box; which connector can be utilized to provide an electrical plug outlet; which is of simple construction, yet highly eflicient for the purposes intended.

An important feature of this invention resides in the provision of a plurality of superimposed insulating blocks which are detachably receivable within the connector box, with an electrical conductor bar disposed between each of said blocks and adapted to be contacted by a conductor in a conduit attached to said box.

Another feature of this invention resides in the provision of a ferrule having an externally threaded pin portion with means attached to said ferrule for detachably securing an electrical conduit cable thereto.

A further feature of this invention resides in the provision of an insulating disk having electrical conductor sleeves depending therethrough which sleeves are adapted to receive the conductors of the electrical conduit cable, and which disk is adapted to abut the inner ends of the ferrule.

Yet another feature of this invention resides in the provision of a yoke portion on one of said conductor bars with fastening means mounted in said yoke portion and adapted to abut the conductor sleeves of the adjacent cable fastener.

These, together with various ancillary objects and features are attained by this device, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view of the electrical terminal connector;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the electrical terminal connector, a pair of conduit cables being shown attached thereto;

Figure 3 is a horizontal plan view of one of the electrical insulating blocks, a conductor bar being shown attached thereto;

Figure 4 is a horizontal plan view of another of the electrical insulating blocks, the second of said conductor bars being shown mounted thereon;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view of the electrical terminal connector unit;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view showing the details of the construction of the plug outlet; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional detail View showing the means for fastening the conductor sleeve, and the electrical cable to the conductor bars.

Referring now more specifically to the accompanying drawings wherein like numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, it will be seen that there i provided an electrical terminal connector comprising nited States Patent 0 a casing indicated generally by the numeral 10, which casing as is conventional, has provided therein a plurality of radially disposed apertures 12, and a cover plate 14 which is detachably secured thereto. In order to have access through the cover plate 14 to the casing 10 there are customarily provided one or more inwardly extending flanges 16 which have internally threaded bores therein for receiving the fastening elements 18. The structure thus far described is conventional.

A plurality of electrical insulator blocks 20, 22 and 24 are configured complementarily to the interior of the easing 10 so as to be detachably received therein in superimposed relation. As is readily apparent, the blocks should be suitably recessed as at 26 in order to provide clearance for the flanges 16.

Detachably received between the insulating blocks, as in suitable recesses 28 and 30 in the adjacent faces of the blocks, are electrical conductor bars 32 and 34, which bars, for reasons which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are preferably in the form of circular centrally apertured disks.

Electrical conduit cables 36 having conductors 38 and 40 extending therethrough, are detachably secured to the casing 10, by means of the ferrule 42. The ferrule 42 has provided on one end thereof an externally threaded portion 44 which is adapted to be screw-threadedly received within the apertures 12, the convoluted portion 46 being provided adjacent the externally threaded portion to provide an abutting flange to limit the distance which the ferrule may be threaded into the bore. In order to accommodate minor fluctuations in the diameter of the bores, it is intended that the ferrule 22 be suitably notched as at 48, the inherent resiliency of the ferrule urging the threaded end portion into engagement with the sides of the apertures 12. The cable 36 is detachably secured to the ferrule 42, by means of an adjustable strap 50 which encircles the ferrule and which tightens the ferrule against the cable, by means of the fastener 52 which secures the free ends of the strap to each other.

In order to provide a cap for the cable 46, and also to prevent the retraction of the cable from the ferrule, the latter is secured to the casing 10, there is provided an electrical insulator disk 53. Extending through the disk 53 are male plug sleeves 5 4 and 56, which sleeves are adapted to receive the conductors 38 and 49 of the cable 36. The disk 53, as is readily apparent from a consideration of Figure 5 of the applicants drawings, abuts against the inner end of the ferrule 42, and when the conductors 40 and 38 are suitably fastened to their corresponding male plug sleeves 54 and 46, it is apparent that removal of the cable 36 from the ferrule 42 will be prevented.

In order to accommodate the disk 53, the insulating bars 20, 22 and 24, must be suitably recessed as at 58, in that portion of the block which lies in axial alignment with the apertures 12, so that the disk 53 may be detachably received therein. Further, the abutting edges of the blocks should be further recessed as at 69 in order to accommodate the male plug sleeves 54 and 56.

As is readily apparent from a consideration of Figure 5 of the drawings, the conductor bar 32 underlies the male plug sleeves 56, the electrical contacts therewith, the corresponding conductors 38 of the cable 36 being thereby electrically connected to each other. However, in the event it is not intended that the connection between the conductor and the corresponding male plug sleeves be soldered or otherwise welded, there is provided a suitable fastener, shown more clearly in Figure 7 of the drawings. This acts as an extension on the conductor bar 34 which extension is bent upwardly to form a vertical portion 62 and then bent back over the conductor bar 34, to provide a parallel portion 64. The vertical portion 62 is suitably apertured as at 66 in order to receive the corresponding male plug sleeve 54, the parallel portion 64 having an internally threaded bore 68 therein which bore threadedly receives the adjusting screw 70, which screw can be adjusted to abut the sleeve 54 and compress the latter against the conductor 40 and the con ductor bar 34 so as to retain those elements in engagement with each other.

It was also intended that the terminal connector also serve as an electrical plug outlet, and for this purpose the cover plate 14 is suitably apertured, preferably in. the center thereof, a threaded sleeve 72 which has a flange 74 thereon which underlies the plate 14, being received in the aperture. The insulating blocks 22 and 24 are provided with transverse, preferably rectangular bores 76 and 78. The conductor bar 32 is provided with an inwardly extending conducting portion 80, having an upwardly extending terminal portion 82 which extends upwardly into the bore '78. Similarly, the conductor bar 34 has a corresponding conducting portion 84 which also terminates in an upwardly extending terminal portion 86 which extends into the bore '76. In this manner it is readily apparent that there is provided a suitable plug outlet.

In order to detachably secure the insulating blocks 2t), 22 and 24 together, the blocks are provided with a central internally threaded bore 88, which bore firmly receives the fastener 99.

In operation the cable 36 having the conductors 38 and 48 extending therethrough has slid over the end thereof the ferrule 42, the disk 53 having the sleeves 54 and 56 extending therethrough being secured to the ends of the cable, in any desired manner. The ferrule 42 is then screw-threadedly mounted in the bores 12 in the casing 10, and the adjustable strap then tightened to prevent further rotary or sliding movement of the cable 36 relative to the ferrule 42. The sleeves 54 and 56 are, of course, projected into the corresponding recess between the blocks, into electrical contact with the corresponding conductor bar 32 or 34 as the case may be. The fastener 70 is then threaded into contact with the sleeve 54, and inasmuch as the end of the sleeve is of deformable material, it is apparent that the conductor 4% will be frictionally retained therein, the sleeve 54 being retained between the fastener 7t and the conductor bar 34.

It is believed readily apparent that after the adjustable strap 50 is tightened, and rotary movement of the cable 36 relative to the ferrule 42 prevented, and further, relative sliding movement of the conductor relative to the sleeve 54 limited by the adjusting screw 70, a cable connection is provided which may not be readily rotated or slid out of its conductor bar engaging position.

In the event the conductors are soldered or otherwise welded to the corresponding sleeve, it is believed apparent that the disk 53 will prevent the cable from being retracted from the ferrule 42, and consequently, a rigid connection thereby insured.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the operation and construction of the device will be readily understood, and further discussion is believed to be unnecessary. However, numerous modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not intended to limit the invention to that shown and described, but all suitable modifications may be resorted to falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A terminal connector for conduits having a plurality of electrical conductors extending therethrough comprising a casing having a plurality of apertures therein, a plurality of conduits, said apertures being adapted to receive said conduits, a plurality of superimposed electrical insulator blocks mounted in said casing, conductor bars disposed between said blocks each adapted to be contacted by a conductor in one of said conduits, means detachably securing said blocks together, means detachably securing said conduits to said casing including ferrules each having an externally threaded end portion thereon threadedly engaged with said casing in one of said apertures, said ferrules having means attached thereto for detachably securing said conduits thereto, electrical insulator disks overlying the inner end of said ferrules, conductor sleeves attached to said disks extending between said insulator blocks each in electrical contact with one of said conductor bars, said sleeves being adapted to receive a conductor.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,175,147 Davison Oct. 3, 1939 2,245,422 Whittaker June 10, 1941 2,463,033 Harriett Mar. 1, 1949 2,533,673 Lasserre Dec. 12, 1950 2,699,533 Harriett Jan. 11, 1955 

